Reno
by SilverDeathAngel
Summary: Just a short lil ficlet that follows a small circle of the FFVII characters after Reno's funeral. Character death, slightly corny ending, tiny bits of humor. Rated T for death. Please, if you read, review!


**A/N-- Ok, so this is an incredibly sad piece that hit me while listening to-- what else?-- sad songs. So, I decided to write it out and post it. It does have a semi-corny ending, but I'm a sucker for those. And it also features a lil bit of camaraderie (wow, a $5 word!) between Zack and Reno. Oh, BTW, it does include character death. (Nothing really graphic, though) So, you've been warned, and if you wish, read on, and DROP ME SOME REVIEWS!!!) Arigato! **

It was a small gathering, no where near what the person being laid in the ground deserved to commemorate his life, but they were all there was. But a steady, if light, rain was falling, forcing the need for umbrellas. And there wasn't a dry eye around the gaping hole in the ground as the dark oak coffin hung over it with definite finality. 

Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Rufus, Rude, Elena, Marlene and Denzel looked on, each with different feelings running rampant over each face. Cloud seemed almost dead, Tifa and Yuffie hugged each other close, seeming to try to close their ranks, to fill the void that had been left behind. Rufus and Rude stood stonily silent, barely touching, yet seeming to lend strength just by being close. Elena was sobbing quietly, and Marlene and Denzel held hands, each saddened by the misery which seemed to swirl around the little group like a frigid wind. 

Finally, the last words being said and the coffin being lowered slowly into the ground, Cloud, Rufus and Rude finally had to turn away. The others followed slowly, trying to block out the sound of the pulley as it squeaked under the coffins weight, making Rude wonder briefly why it would squeak. Surely the person inside couldn't have weighed over a hundred pounds, and that would have been soaking wet, with a brick in each hand. Picturing the absurdity of it-- Reno naked and wet, holding two bricks up in the air, with his long hair like a crimson waterfall down his back, he had to stifle a laugh. Instead, tears welled in his eyes and he felt them stream down his face. 

Cloud too was hurting. He'd lost so many friends in his short life, to have one taken away so senselessly, something that could have been prevented… Fighting back the urge to scream to the injustice of it all, he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, not caring where he was going. 

Rufus was likewise utterly lost in his misery. The loud, arrogant, redheaded idiot of a Turk, trained to handle every situation under the sun, had been snatched away as easily as a feather in the wind. He'd been able to avoid everything that had ever been thrown at him, save one. Rufus wondered for a split second if he'd felt fear, in that instant when he'd looked up, to see the ton of metal and squealing tires headed for him, for he was sure that Reno would have looked up. But he stopped his train of thought there, because he knew if he didn't, he'd probably lose his mind. But at that moment, insanity seemed an easier way that trying to keep going. But he would keep going, because Reno survived now only in his memories. 

Rude felt broken. Reno had always been there for him, from the very first day they'd become partners. He remembered the lithe body, the attitude of invincibility… How could this have happened to someone who had the rest of his life before him? He growled low in his throat. It was lucky for the driver of the car that he was in critical condition in an undisclosed location, and that murdering him wouldn't bring Reno back. If it would have, Rude could have cheerfully pulled the plug and never have felt a moment of remorse. 

Elena, Tifa and Yuffie felt the pain, but less acutely. They hadn't known Reno as well as the others, and all Marlene and Denzel knew was that Reno was reliable, always able to listen to their problems, no matter how trivial, and was always prepared with a small treat for each of the kids whenever they happened to cross paths. Yet they were keenly attuned to Rufus, Rude and Cloud, and their pain was shared all around. 

Finally, the group broke into pairs and singles, and the few cars that had brought them to the cemetery drove slowly away. 

_Reno watched them go with sadness. He'd seen the fear, the pity and hurt that went so much deeper than any wound that any of his friends had ever had on the surface. It was so hard not to try and go after them, crying and screaming that he wasn't gone, not by a long-shot, and that they shouldn't ever forget him, that he'd be here waiting, for as long as it took for them to join him. _

_He didn't care if they had to join him, or if one of them, in their pain and sorrow, were somehow able to see him, however briefly. _

"_They never will, you know. See you. You're gone, and no matter how much they hurt, it's not enough for them to see you, because they remember you as you were, not as you are now. And some of them don't believe in ghosts."_

_Reno scowled at the soft voice. "Can't you just go away, and leave me alone? I don't mind being a ghost, or hanging here forever, cause one day, maybe…"_

"_It's foolish to hope, Reno. No one ever saw me, except Cloud, but we were like brothers, and he was so attuned to Aerith that she managed to get through, when he most needed her…"_

"_Man, back off, Soldier boy!" Reno whirled on the pair, but suddenly his anger dissipated when Aerith held out a hand to him. "Come with us, Reno. Your time is up, and you have people waiting for you. Don't make them wait too much longer. Give me your hand, and we'll go…"_

_Reno cast a sad glance around the cemetery, seeing it fade as he reached out for Aerith's cool hand. Zack nodded at him and tugged gently on his flame-colored hair, grinning as Reno shot him a warning look. _

_As they faded away, a pair now a trio, a small flower, looking much like a miniature rose, the same color as Reno's hair, bloomed quickly but silently over his grave. _


End file.
